After tamil nadu, Kerala politicians also go for freebies for votes ,2016 Kerala Assembly Election ,AIADMK ,CPI ,Jayalalithaa ,Kerala ,Kerala Assembly Election 2016 ,LDF ,Oommen Chandy ,Tamil Nadu , freebies
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- Last Updated: Thursday, 28 April 2016 13:14
After tamil nadu, Kerala politicians also go for freebies for votes ,2016 Kerala Assembly Election ,AIADMK ,CPI ,Jayalalithaa ,Kerala ,Kerala Assembly Election 2016 ,LDF ,Oommen Chandy ,Tamil Nadu , freebies
The AIADMK’s success in Kerala coupled with a decade of freebie culture in neighbouring Tamil Nadu’s politics has had its impact on God’s Own Country. In red Kerala, material freebies are suddenly in vogue ahead of the 2016 Assembly polls. With the entry of political parties based in Tamil Nadu – like Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK – traditional Left and Congress leaders in the state are now being forced into competitive populism, manifesting in the form of freebies.
Cycles, saris and laptops and even kitchen utensils now find a place in political manifestos.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has long been a practitioner of patronage politics. He also pioneered the mass contact programmes where assistance for various purposes was sanctioned on the spot. During the five years of his rule, Rs 798.73 crore was disbursed to 7.89 lakh applicants.
The Chief Minister admits that he might have erred in some cases by sanctioning assistance to undeserving persons. However, if he went by detailed procedure, those many people could not be helped. “If mistakes are found, I am not averse to correcting him,” he was wont to say.
The Opposition LDF has stopped short of offering laptops to college students belonging to Scheduled Castes and Tribes. “There is nothing wrong in providing freebies to the disadvantaged when the rich are cornering many benefits from the government. Items like laptops and cycles will help students with their studies. Cycles will also help them to keep fit,” said former Minister Benoy Viswam of the CPI.
The LDF manifesto is a comprehensive document with a 35-point action plan and 600 proposals. The UDF manifesto has roughly only half that number of proposals. However, there is strong focus on security for the poor.
The government decided to provide free rations to the poor just before the elections were declared. It was already providing ration at Re 1 a kg to people living below the poverty line. The Election Commission initially objected to implementation of the scheme from 1 April, but subsequently reneged on its decision.
Similarly, the government had sanctioned as much as Rs 90 crore in the first two months of this year and an additional Rs 52.5 crore in the first three days of March from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. The daily disbursals had jumped 52-fold against average disbursals in the past five years by the time the elections were announced on 4 March. As on that date, Rs 44.54 crore was pending disbursal to a whopping 40,000 beneficiaries. Though the Election Commission objected to disbursal of the remaining amount, the Kerala High Court permitted the payments, allowing petitions filed by beneficiaries.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is yet to announce its manifesto and it may not be offering freebies. BJP spokesman JR Padmakumar says offering of freebies is not a healthy tendency in a democracy. “They will not make any significant impact on the beneficiaries. Instead of freebies, people should be provided with means for livelihood and infrastructure for overall development such as schools and transportation facilities,” he stated.
Businessman Biju Ramesh, who created a storm in the state by levelling bribery charges against then Finance Minister KM Mani, Excise Minister K Babu and others leading to the resignation of Mani, has emerged as the AIADMK’s candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Central. He promises Amma canteens in his constituency and laptops, study materials and uniforms for school students with the Tamil Nadu government’s support. “Amma (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa) wants all homes in this constituency to have LCD televisions, washing machines and grinders,” he said.